Twice a
day, every day (4 a.m. and 4 p.m.), extract the creamy results

At Merrymead Farm,
visitors can watch this process daily, and after touring, taste the multiple
products that flow through its network of steel pipes and tanks. The
refrigerated shelves of Merrymead's onsite store are laden with freshly bottled
whole milk, skim milk, buttermilk, half-and-half and chocolate milk.

And tubs and tubs of
ice cream.

Step one is a visit
to the milking parlor. John Carr, grandson-in-law of the founder, describes the
intricate machinery that automates a task once done completely by hand.

"The cows line up,
waiting for a bell to ring. They form two lines on their own, which match up to
milking machines on the left and right. When the door opens, they walk in and
pick the same station every day."

He shows me the milking mechanism, which looks like a small octopus. He
turns it on and invites me to insert a finger into the rubber-lined shaft. When
I do, suction catches my finger, and a gentle pulsation begins inside.

Weird.

But when attached to a cow and left in place for 12 minutes, eight gallons
of raw milk result. The cow then exits, off for more grazing, and is quickly
replaced until all 150 have been through the parlor.

Rothenberger's
grandfather made a unique decision in those early days that makes Merrymead
unique. Grandson Jared Quigley says: "When it was time to build the storefront
in 1971, he put it close to the road rather than nearby the milking parlor and
used pipes to connect to the processing room. A lot of dairies put them
side-by-side for convenience sake. Grandpa thought separating them made a nice
atmosphere for customers, who maybe weren't interested in the ‘farm fresh
smell' of a working dairy farm."

Merrymead boasts an
impressive statistic of 36 hours from cow to shelf. Raw milk is pasteurized,
homogenized and cooled. From there, if it's a Tuesday or Thursday (the days
that Merrymead makes ice cream), it's a good chance it will end up in a cone or
cup and drizzled with hot fudge.

"Every flavor starts
with vanilla," Carr says, adding the flavoring to the milk. "It's the basis of
everything else we make except chocolate." The liquid is stirred and poured
into a machine that both churns it and freezes it. "If we're making chocolate
chip or cookies and cream, those additions go in before the freezing process so
that it gets fully incorporated. There's nothing worse than spoonfuls of
cookies and cream with no cookies in them. If we're making peanut butter ribbon
or chocolate swirl, those flavors are stirred in after the ice cream comes
out."

For purposes of
cleanliness and flavor consistency, Merrymead makes vanilla first - including
all its mixed-in variations - and then goes onto chocolate.

Carr flips a switch
and the machinery begins to hum. He sets a timer for 9-15 minutes. Different
timings can produce different varieties, including gelato and, using non-dairy
ingredients, water ice.

Since the farm
produces so much ice cream, I wonder if the staff still eats it or if they've
lost their taste for it from overexposure.

"I had some for a
midnight snack last night," Carr laughs. Quigley chimes in: "When we experiment
with a flavor that doesn't quite work out, we get to eat that." Carr verifies:
"Yes, I was eating raspberry/Oreo, which didn't look very good but tasted terrific."

Best-selling flavors
at Merrymead are very traditional: vanilla, mint chip and strawberry.

When the timer goes
off, Carr dispenses it into a tub for final freezing. The frosty ice cream
plops heavily from the spout, and Carr thumps the bucket to remove air bubbles.

He then grabs three
small cups and a trio of spoons. And although it is not quite 11 a.m., we toast
the cows of Merrymead with a sample of some of the best vanilla ice cream I've
ever had.

Merrymead offers
tours of its dairy-making operation in a program called "Moo to You." While
geared toward school children, it's an informative session for all. The farm
has a number of animals onsite in addition to its Registered Holstein
cows that supply National Quality Award winning milk; these may be viewed and
visited but not petted.

Ice cream is a
wonderfully cool escape from the summer's heat. Likewise, a long weekend in one
of our recommended hotels can also provide a respite from steamy
temperatures. Relax poolside. Or dive into a refreshing beverage at a lively
hotel bar. It's a sure-fire way to ensure your summer goes swimmingly.

Author: Dan Weckerly - VFTCB Communications Manager

Dan Weckerly, VFTCB Communications Manager, has lived in Montgomery
County since 1988 but is still discovering its many treasures, which
provides the basis for The Pursuit. He is well-traveled across
the U.S. and even lived in London, but more commonly shares his
household with a wife of more than 25 years, three daughters and a boisterous
Labrador Retriever.